Programs

Lending Library

Supported by the Louisiana Department of Education, FHF maintains a lending library of books, VHS tapes and DVDs on disability-specific information and also general information related to education, parents rights, etc. Our library is open during regular office hours, Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Any FHF staff may assist you, please visit our library soon!!

Educational Liaisons

Valerie Balser, Lead Educational Liaison - valerie_fhfacad@hotmail.com

Promotes collaboration between families, LEA Special Education Programs and related services, and general education personnel. The parent contract addresses educational issues which result in improvements in school curriculum, referral and staff collaboration.

First Touch/Parent to Parent

This is a mentoring program that matches parents of newly-diagnosed children with trained volunteer support parents for emotional support and education.

We are looking for families that have children with special needs and have adjusted to the daily stress and demands of parenting a special needs child to become support parents. Interested parents can contact Families Helping Families of Acadiana for more information.

Childrens Special Health Services, Parent Liaison

Vickie Nettles, Parent Liaison - vickien_fhfacad@hotmail.com

A Parent Liaison is a unique person who is able to deal with her own child's special needs while offering support, information, and referrals to other parents of children with disabilities.

SIBSHOP

Bernadette Myers - bernadette_fhfacad@hotmail.com

SIBSHOP is a support group for children who have a sibling with a disability and/or chronic or terminal illness. SIBSHOP is a place where children ages 8-16 can meet to talk about what it is like to have a sibling with different needs and a place to have fun. This group will meet monthly and will have a variety of speakers and activities. Older SIBS are welcome to apply as volunteers.

Early Steps Community Outreach Specialist

Mauricia Ledet

The Part C Parent Liaison will coordinate on a regional level activities related to the support of parents and families served by Louisiana's early intervention program for infants and toddlers with special needs under Part C of the Inividuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Will be responsible for assisting families in accessing Part C services. Will refer to Systems Point of Entry. Part C Regional Parent Liaison will assist in outreach, and will also be responsible for providing information to families of young children about Part C services.

ECSS (Early Childhood Supports & Services)

Bernadette Myers, Facilitator - bernadette_fhfacad@hotmail.com

The Early Childhood Supports & Services projects encompass those families who reside within the Lafayette Parish area. One of the goals of this initiative is to develop a local integrated, comprehensive system of care for preschool children and their families. The process will function much like an Interagency Service Coordination (ISC) in that needs will be identified and supportive services explored and offered through participation of the core group of agencies and others who may offer appropriate services. It is expected that OCS utilitzes this process for eligible foster children as well as for any child and familily identified within our Family Service population.

There are three (3) components of ECSS:

ECSS Staffing - The staffing consists of CORE members (15-18) agencies that attend meetings on a regular basis.
Emergency Funds - Temporary Assistant to Needy Families (TANF).
Infant Mental Health Program - Service children age 0-5 and their caretakers.

LaPTIC - LA Parent Training and Information Center

Louisiana Parent Training and Information Center provides information, referral, and assistance to parents of children with disabilities, students with disabilities, educators, and other professionals through:

Individual consultations by phone, email, and in person.
In person support, if necessary, at meetings such as IFSPs, IEPs, and ITPs.
Training via workshops and on-line training via the internet.
The LaPTIC statewide newsletter distributed by mail and e-mail.

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